1. Technical Field
This invention generally relates to a call forwarding user interface in a mobile communication device capable of effecting a call forwarded communication connection with other communication devices over a communication network.
2. Related Art
Many mobile communication devices already have call forwarding capability. Upon the occurrence a pre-defined call forwarding condition, an incoming call may be diverted or forwarded to a different communication device that has been previously identified by the user. Typically, the user interface employed for identifying the desired alternate destination telephone number or other identifying data has required the user to manually enter each digit of identifying data. If this can be done conveniently from memory or by reference to some written document, that may not present a great problem. However, if the desired alternate destination identifying data has not been memorized but, instead, is only available as some other pre-stored data within the communication device itself, then the process may become cumbersome. For example, the desired identifying data may have to be recalled for display on the device, copied onto paper or otherwise temporarily memorized by the user before it can be manually keyed in to identify the desired call forwarding destination. This can become particularly cumbersome if there are a number of different call forwarding conditions which may each be associated with a different call forwarding destination and/or if the user frequently desires to change call forwarding arrangements to meet different encountered situations.
Typically call forwarding is set up on mobile phones such that when the mobile user does not answer the phone, calls are forwarded to voice mail. Forwarding conditions for GSM phones are CFU (forward all incoming calls unconditionally), CFB (forward when busy), CFNRC (forward when not reachable), CFNRY (forward when no reply).
However, a mobile phone user may also want to forward calls to specific numbers, such as his/her home phone number, work phone number, cottage phone number, a friend's house, etc. For example, if the user is heading to a cottage and knows that there will be no cellular coverage there, he/she may want to forward all calls to the cottage land-line phone number.
Phone numbers such as those for a home, work, cottage, friend, etc. would typically already be contained in the user's address book in the mobile phone itself. However, in order to set CFU forwarding to the cottage number destination, the user must open the Cottage address book entry, copy or memorize the phone number, then open the call forwarding option, and set the CFU phone number by entering it manually.